The present invention relates to a structural glazing system for forming continuous facades.
Systems for obtaining continuous glazed facades have already been proposed in the art, and which include laying a fixed structural framing comprising a plurality of uprights and crosspieces or transoms, which are fixed to the supporting structure of the building to be glazed. Glass panels are mounted on a respective concealed peripheral frame and then secured to the supporting structural framing. Sealing between adjacent glass panels and possibly between the panels and the structural framing is performed by means of silicone sealant, termed "structural silicone", which is structurally made to adhere to the sides of the glass panels by means of special sealants marketed by a small number of highly specialized manufacturers.
Structural-silicone systems make it possible to obtain continuous glazed facades in which the various glass panels are spaced from one another by very narrow gaps, having a width of the order of 15 mm, usually fully or partly occupied by structural silicone, which produces a regular checker-like partition among the glass panels. The aesthetical and architectural virtues of a structural-silicone glazed facade are undoubtedly appealing.
However, the use of structural silicones requires a quite complicated and, above all, costly sealing operation for a number of reasons. First of all, structural silicones are available on the market at high costs and their reliability, in use, is attained only if severe conditions and specific requirements are fulfilled in so far as quality, type and nature of the materials being used, sealant application procedures, which must be executed in factory, and features of the structural framing are concerned. Should the sealant accidentally provide faulty adhesion, the glass panels fall from the facade of the glazed building with severe risk of damaging people and property.